Container



July 20, 1965 J. v. cox 3,195,152

CQNTAINER Filed May 31, 1963 IN VENTOR.

. JAMES M Cox ATTORNEY- United States Patent 3,195,752 CUNTAENER Homes V. Con, 205 Main St., West Seneca 24-, Nfir. Filed May 31, 1%3, Ser. No. 284,599 3 (Ziaims. (ill. 215-1) This invention relates to a container and more particularly to a container which may readily be converted to form two useful articles, namely a scoop and a funnel, when the container has served its purpose as a container.

In the container field blown plastic containers have made great strides and have found a rapidly growing field of usefulness, desirability and acceptance in competition with conventional glass and sheet metal containers. However, the cost of blown plastic containers is still an important factor, particularly in larger size containers which are used for packaging relatively low priced materials.

The use of single-trip, throwaway containers is becoming more and more common, even in the glass container art, which makes the cost factor of the container even more important. The present invention provides a blown plastic container which is highly useful and desirable, particularly in relatively large plastic containers of the general order of one gallon capacity, since the container, after its contents have been emptied, may readily be converted into two useful articles which are well known and widely employed. The usefulness of either of these articles more than offsets the original cost of the blown plastic container and makes single-use containers in larger sizes highly economic and attractive, even in packaging relatively low priced commodities.

According to the present invention a blown plastic container is formed and constructed in such manner that when its original contents are emptied it may readily be severed into two parts which then comprise a funnel and a scoop, both of which are susceptible of general household use or a variety of other uses. Accordingly, the original cost of the container to the manufacturer or packager is fully justified from a purely economic standpoint whereas, from the standpoint of the manufacturer or merchandiser, the entire initial cost of the container is more than offset by the sales promotion or sales inducement value resulting from these additional uses to which the container can be converted by the ultimate purchaser.

A single form of the novel blown plastic container of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawing and described in the following specification but it is to be understood that the embodiment thus disclosed is by way of example and for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the invention. The container of the present invention may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is not limited excepting as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of one form of the container of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken approximately on the line lIlI of FIG. 1.

In the drawing the numeral designates a body member which in the illustrated instance is generally elliptical in horizontal cross section and is recessed or flattened as at 11 to provide space for a handle 12 which is thus disposed entirely within the elliptical confines of body member 10. Handle 12 is formed integrally with the body member 13.

The upper portion of the container which is generally known as the shoulder portion is designated 15 and is frusto-conical in the form illustrated herein by way of BJQSESZ Fatenteal July Zfl, 1%65 example. The axis of generation of the cone which de fines the surface of the shoulder portion 15 and the principal axis of the ellipse which forms the cylindroidal body portion 10 intersect at a plane marked by the line AA in FIG. 1.

Plane AA is at right angles to tie axis of the cone defining shoulder 15 and the elliptical cross section of body 10 is so proportioned that its oblique cross section along the line A-A is a true circle. Thus the ends of the body portion 1t and shoulder portion 15 are coincident in the oblique plane indicated by the line AA.

The upper end of body It) just below line AA and the lower end of shoulder portion just above line AA have reinforcing bead formations designated, respectively, 16 and 17. The head formations 16 and 17 are closely spaced and a knife or similar instrument may be drawn along the narrow space between the beads, being guided thereby, to sever the body it) and shoulder 15 to form, respectively, an ordinary household scoop and a funnel, as will presently appear more fully.

The upper end of shoulder portion 15 comprises a filling and pouring spout or neck 20 which may be threaded as indicated in MG. 1 to receive a conventional screw cap. A further handle 21 is formed along the shoulder portion 15 where it is particularly conveniently placed for lifting the container and whereby it also serves as a funnel handle after the container has been severed as described above. The spout or neck 20 of course also forms the usual small end of the funnel.

From the foregoing it will be noted that the beads 16 and 17 provide a strongly reinforced juncture between the body it and shoulder portion 15, they form an effective severing guide and, when the container is severed, they provide substantial edge reinforcements for the scoop and funnel members.

In some cases the material initially packed in the container may be viscous or sticky, but upon severance the two parts may readily be cleansed internally with much greater facility than when the container is intact.

I claim:

1. A molded plastic container including a body portion comprising an upright cylindroid terminating at its upper end at a plane extending at an oblique angle to the axis of said cylindroid such that the intersection of said plane with said cylindroid is circular, said container having a frusto-conical upper end portion molded integrally with said body portion and so proportioned that its base circle coincides substantially with the upper end of said cylindroid at said oblique plane, said frusto-conical upper end portion terminating at its upper end in a mouth portion, a handle on said body portion at the lower side thereof as defined by said oblique plane, a second handle on said upper end portion at the high side thereof, and encircling reinforcing bead formations at the upper end of said body portion and the lower end of said upper end portion, said beads being parallel and closely adjacent to define a line of severance therebetween.

2. A molded plastic container including a body portion comprising an upright cylindroid terminating at its upper end at a plane eXtending at an oblique angle to the axis of said cylindroid such that the intersection of said plane with said cylindroid is circular, said container having a frusto-conical upper end portion molded integrally with said body portion and so proportioned that its base circle coincides substantially with the upper end of said cylindroid at said oblique plane, said frusto-conical upper end portion terminating at its upper end in a mouth portion, a handle on said body portion at the lower side thereof as defined by said oblique plane, a second handle on said upper end portion at the high side thereof, and an encircling formation at the juncture of said upper end por- H011 and said body portion to define a line of severance therebetween.

3. A molded plastic container including a body portion comprising an upright cylindroid terminating at its upper end at a plane extending at an oblique angle to the axis of said cylindroid such that the intersection of said plane with said cylindroid is circular, said container having a frusto-conical upper end portion molded integrally with said body portion and so proportioned that its base circle coincides substantially with the upper end of said cylindroid at said oblique plane, said frusto-conical upper end portion terminating at its upper end in a mouth portion, and encircling reinforcing bead formations at the upper end of said body portion and the lower end of said upper end portion, said beads being parallel and closely adjacent to define a line of severance therebetween.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 187,006 1/60 Warden 585 D. 192,978 6/62 Garvey 58-5 3,100,576 8/63 Frank.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

1. MOLDED PLASTIC CONTAINER INCLUDING A BODY PORTION COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT CYLINDROID TERMINATING AT ITS UPPER END AT PLANE EXTENDING AT AN OBLIQUE ANGLE TO THE AXIS OF SAID CYLINDROID SUCH THAT THE INTERSECTION OF SAID PLANE WITH SAID CYLINDROID IS CIRCULAR, SAID CONTAINER HAVING A FRUSTO-CONICAL UPPER END PORTION MOLDED INTEGRALLY WITH SAID BODY PORTION AND SO PROPORTIONED THAT ITS BASE CIRCLE COINCIDES SUBSTANTIALLY WITH THE UPPER END OF SAID CYLINDROID AT SAID OBLIQUE PLANE, SAID FRUSTO-CONICAL UPPER END PORTION TERMINATING AT ITS UPPER END IN A MOUTH PORTIN, A HANDLE ON SAID BODY PORTION AT THE LOWER SIDE THEREOF AS DEFINED BY SAID OBLIQUE PLANE, A SECOND HANDLE ON SAID UPPER END PORTION AT THE HIGH SIDE THEREOF, AND ENCIRCLING REINFORCING BEAD FORMATIONS AT THE UPPER END OF SAID BODY PORTION AND THE LOWER END OF SAID UPPER END PORTION, SAID BEADS BEING PARALLEL AND CLOSELY ADJACENT TO DEFINE A LINE OF SEVERANCE THEREBETWEEN. 